Prior studies have demonstrated the benefits of intrinsic need satisfaction and autonomy support in the domain of education. It remains unclear whether the motivational constructs, derived from Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) are also beneficial for clinical populations. The purpose of this thesis is to shed light on how social and academic adjustment might be promoted by socializing agents in the context of social rehabilitation.
This dissertation is composed of two studies investing SDT key tenets within two samples of maladjusted teenagers receiving special education and social rehabilitation services. The relations between key motivational constructs are investigated to determine if, as proposed by SDT, youths’ intrinsic need satisfaction might by promoted by socializing agents’ interpersonal style (i.e., autonomy support, involvement, and structure). It is also predicted that these constructs will lead to motivational and experiential benefits as proposed by SDT. The first study tested whether teachers’ interpersonal style can foster students’ need satisfaction, motivation style, as well as their academic adjustment. Teenagers (N = 115) enrolled in Social Rehabilitation Centers’ special schools for maladjusted youths with severe emotional and behavioral problems completed questionnaires twice, at the beginning and the end of the school year. Structural equation modeling analysis supports a model in which teachers’ improvements in autonomy support and involvement (but not structure) are associated with students’ higher need satisfaction, which in turns leads to self-determined academic motivation and less dropout intentions at the end of the school year. Furthermore, improvement in need satisfaction leads directly to a better affective experience at school.
The second study was an experimental research conducted with maladjusted female adolescents (N = 29). The experimental design allowed comparing the impact of learning a tedious, but important clinical workshop with (vs. without) autonomy support on the internalization of the interpersonal problem solving task and positive motivational and experiential outcomes. The results suggest that an autonomy-supportive interpersonal style is beneficial to youths’ experience, leading to higher self-determined motivation, perceived task’s value, task liking as well as less negative affect compared to a condition without autonomy support. Results are discussed along with the theoretical and practical implications of extending the reach of SDT to a clinical population of maladjusted teenagers.